If you are considering Medicare Advantage for your Medicare coverage, here are some things to think about:
Most Medicare Advantage plans are HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) and have networks of doctors, hospitals, and other providers. [...]

Who were the winners and losers in Tucson Medicare Advantage enrollment from 2016 to 2017?
Each year at this time, I look at Medicare Advantage enrollment data provided on the CMS website (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). Below I [...]

Uh oh. A UnitedHealthcare contract dispute with Northwest Healthcare is going to cause problems for lots of people who live on the northwest side of Tucson.
Northwest Healthcare owns Oro Valley Hospital, Northwest Medical Center, and Northwest [...]

For people who are unhappy with their Medicare Advantage plan, there is still a way to get out of it. That is called the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP).
The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period runs from January 1 – [...]

I’m checking in on my Medicare clients because the Medicare Open Enrollment Period is coming up. I try to call many of my clients to see if they are happy with their Medicare Advantage plan because this is the time of year they can make [...]

Observation status with Medicare Advantage can cost you a lot of money. If you go to the hospital, you might start out in the Emergency Room and your co-pay would be $75 – even if they do lots of tests on you over several hours. That’s [...]

If you are turning 65 and transferring from an individual health plan to Medicare, BEWARE! You might find yourself the victim of Medicare Advantage auto enrollment.
I just read an article in Kaiser Health News that says:
With Medicare’s [...]

A Medicare Advantage report by the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the enrollment growth in Medicare Advantage plans around the country. Enrollment in the private plans reached 17.6 million in 2016 and is increased in almost all states [...]

Each year at this time I like to look at Medicare Advantage enrollment in Tucson and which plans added members and which ones lost from one year to the next.
Tucson (Pima County) has lots of competition in the Medicare Advantage market. Blue [...]

Don’t make this Medicare Advantage Dis-Enrollment Mistake.
I tell my clients they don’t need to contact their Medicare Advantage Plan (MA) plan to cancel their Advantage plan… if they enroll into a stand-alone Part D plan. [...]

Have you heard that Medicare Advantage plans have no future? If that is true, why are the biggest insurance companies buying other insurance companies that focus on Medicare Advantage?
An article from the Hartford Courant says:
Aetna to [...]

Centene to Buy HealthNet….unless United steps in and offers more for Health Net.
Last week, Centene announced a $6.8 billion offer to buy Health Net. The two companies combined would become one of the nation’s largest Medicaid-focused [...]

The Wall Street Journal has an article on merger mania among big insurance companies, some of which are big players in the Medicare Advantage market.
One-third of all Medicare beneficiaries (16 million) are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, [...]

I got a call from a client who is very annoyed by phone calls from her Medicare Advantage plan asking her to agree to a home visit from a company nurse. Asta asked me if she had to comply with her Medicare Advantage plan’s request [...]

I have had several calls recently from people who were moving to Arizona and needed to enroll in a local Medicare Advantage plan. Picking a new plan is not difficult in Arizona – but finding a primary care physician is another matter.
Most [...]

Starting in 2016 Medicare Advantage plans will be required to keep up-to-date online directories, or face large fines. The online directories allow the public (and insurance agents) to see which doctors are in a plan’s network and which [...]

Who were the Medicare Advantage winners and losers in Tucson, AZ after the Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP)? The 2014 OEP was chaotic for over 10,000 people in Pima County who changed their Advantage plan. Many of them had been notified [...]

I got a call Friday evening from a very upset client who said her doctor’s office told her they were having problems with her new Medicare Advantage plan. The doctor’s staff said they could not get through to the plan to verify [...]

Retiree health benefits are pretty rare these days, but I have two friends and two relatives who worked for big companies that offer benefits to supplement Medicare for their retirees. These people are in their 70’s and 80’s [...]

The cost of insulin varies widely from one Medicare Advantage plan to another. I checked out all the Medicare Advantage plans in Pima County and how they cover insulin and pills for glucose control…. and I was shocked at what I found!
One [...]

This will be a hectic Open Enrollment Period (OEP) because there will be several Tucson Medicare Advantage cancellations.
Health Net and SCAN are cancelling their Medicare Advantage special needs plans that focus on people with diabetes and [...]

Big changes are coming to Tucson Medicare Advantage plans in 2015. People enrolled in Tucson Medicare Advantage plans will be getting the news very soon.
Agents are not supposed to talk about 2015 “benefits” until October [...]

46 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage in Tucson, AZ. Tucson has a competitive market with 7 companies offering a total of 17 Advantage plans in 2014.
But things are going to change in 2015. Some plans will [...]

Humana and UnitedHealthcare are the biggest players in the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D business – and business has been quite good for them.
UnitedHealthcare recently reported 7 percent growth in its Medicare and Retirement [...]

Health News Florida has an interesting story about a dispute between Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans and a Miami Hospital and doctor network. Medicare Advantage plans must control their costs, and when a doctor group or hospital requires [...]

Should you get a Medicare supplement to fill the gaps in Medicare? How much will your bill be if you are admitted to the hospital and you only have Medicare?
A good explanation of how Medicare works when you are admitted to a hospital can [...]

Disclaimer

Medicareblog.org is not affiliated with Medicare or Social Security. Posts on this blog are meant to provide information and insight into many aspects of Medicare. Denise s a licensed insurance agent in Arizona.